Turkish phrases

The Turkish language is very different from the English language, as Turkish is part of the Ural-Altaic family of languages, whereas English is part of the Indo-European language family. People who want to learn Turkish will first need to understand how Turkish sentences are typically formed before starting to learn Turkish phrases. What follows are a few tips for people who want to learn Turkish.

Turkish phrases – Grammar basics

The Turkish phrases that you will want to focus on first depend largely on the reason that you want to learn Turkish. People who are planning to learn Turkish simply to help them out when they visit Turkey on holiday will want to start with a different set of Turkish sentences to people who plan to move to Turkey for work.
There are 29 letters in the Turkish alphabet and it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the alphabet and the pronunciation of the letters before attempting to speak Turkish. Unlike many other languages, the pronunciation of Turkish sentences is phonetic, and most letters in each word are pronounced. There are very few letters that are not pronounced.

How to learn Turkish phrases

The best way to learn new Turkish sentences and Turkish phrases is by taking a language course. A large number of language centres around the world offer private and group classes. However, it is also possible to take Turkish classes online these days. In addition, an impressive number of websites also offer a selection of common Turkish phrases and tips on how to pronounce them.
Of course, the quickest and simplest way to learn Turkish and to practice certain phrases is to find people on the streets of Turkey to practice with. The best places to do this tend to be coffee shops, as people are more likely to have the time and patience to correct your language mistakes while they are relaxing with a cup of coffee. Many people also like practicing the Turkish language in bars, as they say that alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes it easier to speak new words and phrases with confidence.
As with any language, the more regularly you speak, Turkish the more confident and fluent you will become. People who simply wish to learn the language for fun may find that practicing for one or two hours a week is sufficient, while people who wish to become fluent quickly should set aside at least an hour a day to practice Turkish.

Turkish phrases to get you started:

Hello in Turkish is Merhaba, which is pronounced MARE-HA-BA.

Good evening is İyi akşamlar, which is pronounced EE AK-SHAM-LAR

Good-bye in Turkish is Hoşçakal (HOSH-CHA-KAL)

Other polite Turkish phrases that beginners will want to learn include:

How are you? (nasılsın?)

I am fine, and you? (Iyiyim, sen nasılsın?)

Thank you (teşekkür ederim)

You’re welcome (birşey değil)

Please (lütfen)

It will also be useful to learn phrases such as Do you speak English? (İngilizce konuşur musunuz?) I don’t speak Turkish (Türkçe bilmiyorum) and I don’t understand (aizi anlamıyorum).

Learning Turkish phrases with Babbel

Babbel can help you make real progress with your Turkish sentences. Babbel courses cover all the skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in entertaining multimedia exercises. In the internal social network you can practice your Turkish and learn even more Turkish sentences chatting with other users and native speakers. The voice recognition software helps you train the right pronunciation of the sentences, and in numerous thematic courses covering business, idioms, colloquial speech, etc. you will learn Turkish phrases from different thematic areas. Other features of Babbel are the different mobile applications for iOS and Android, a personal review management system, academic support, and the fact that over 7 million language learners worldwide have chosen Babbel to help them learn a language.